fiscal cliff. halting base spending is what's going to stop it. end of editorial. over the past year, house republicans have passed effective bipartisan legislation to prevent the entire fiscal cliff. unfortunately, these bills remain stalled in the senate graveyard. this fact makes it very clear that house republicans have addressed this issue and speaker john boehner is holding firm for fiscal responsibility. with only a few hours to go, it's my hope that the senate will accept one of our proposals and send legislation back to the house that will attempt to tackle out-of-control spending, extend tax cuts for all americans and preventing the devastating defense cuts before it's too late and hundreds of thousands of jobs are destroyed. in conclusion, god bless our troops and we will never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorism. congratulations, jay pierson, for your years of service. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from ohi